Drill pipe tong assembly



Nov. 22, 1932.

A. W. POSEY DRILL PIPE TONG ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 6, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 0 k2 1 1 70 new M1 055 NOV. 22, W, POSEY DRI LL PIPE TONG ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 6, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented- Nov. 22, 1932 ALFRED W. POSEYQOF VENTURA, CALIFORNIA i DRILL PIPE TONG ASSEMBLY Applicationfiled February 6, 1931. Serial 110 513559.

This invention has to do with tongs, such as are commonly used in oil well drilling operations, for handling drill pipe and easing.

Tongs of this nature are applied to the pipe 1 i or pipe collars and-the final tightening move ment of the tongs is applied through the medium of a so-called pull-line from a suitable source of powder. 7

The usual construction of tongs of this 17.40 nature comprises a handle which has a set of pipe engaging jaws pivotally mounted on one end, and is provided at its other end with means for securing the pull line thereto.

1 In tongs of this nature, the most satisfactory results have been obtained with tongs wherein the jaws are sectional in form,iand are pivotally attached to the handle in spaced relation with each other so that the swinging n movement of the handle brings the jaws into pressure engagement with the pipe.

It has heretofore been considered necessary to provide sufficient space between the aws at the point atwhich they engage the handle r to permit free swinging movement of the handle during a pipe gripping operation. This construction results in the provision of a heel or shoulder at one or more places-within the space enclosed by thejaws, having an open gap between the adjacent jaws so that when torque is applied tothe handle, the shoulder or shoulders apply unequal stress to the pipe, tending to crush it at one or more points.

I It is a primary object of this invention to produce pipe tongs of the class described which are constructed so that the clamping action is brought about by a swinging movement of the handle, and to provide such tongs with means whereby the clamping pressure is applied uniformly over substantially the entire pipe surface which is being acted upon by the tongs. In other words, the device contemplated by this invention is constructed so that there is no substantial gap formed between shoulder or heel on the pipe engaging surface ofthe tongs which tends to permit unequal pressure upon the pipe and consequently crush or weakenthe same; 7

'This object is accomplished by pivotally V 59 mounting the jaws upon the end of the handle so that the line, instead of beingin constant and interposinga pipe engaging shoe between the jaws in amanner such that the shoe is pressed inwardly into pressure engagement wlth thepipe duringaswinging movement of the handle. The jaws and the shoe are so arranged relative to each other and are so connected with the handle that duringv a swinging movement of the handlethe jaws, together with the shoe, are pressed inwardly toward the pipe to effect a uniform application of pressure to all partsof the pipe engaged by the tongs. I

It-is a noteworthy feature of'this invention that the shoe referred to'aboveis pro vided with a stop thatcooperates with one of 5 the jaws to prevent thevshoe interfering with the action of the other jaw, It is a further object of this invention to produce a device of the class described which is provided with a latch that is positive in 70 its action, may be easily manipulated from either sideof the tongs, and in which the application of force to the handle locks the latch against disengagement.

. In view of the fact that tongs of this Da -T ture must be; made quite heavy, they are generally suspended in the derrick, and'for this purpose the handle is provided with a' pair of vertical linksprovided with. turn buckles whereby the tong unit may be'leveled. It is a further object of this inventionto produce an improved constructionfor sus-' pending the tongs in the derrick,such construction being provided with means whereby 1 the tongs may be leveled through ,manipu- B5 lation of a single adjusting unit V As pointed out above, the operation of tongs of this nature isgenerally effected by applying tension to thepull line which is attached to one end of the tong handle. In 0 the usual construction of these tongs, thepull line is attached to the handle through an eye which is positioned with .its axis normal to. 1 the plane of the handle,-and since this line Y is in constant engagement with the metal'of 95 the handle, itwearsquickly and must here paired from time to time. I consider it a fur- V ther object of my invention'to prov1de an 1m proved form of handle which is constructed PATENT OFFICE; i I i engagement with the metal of the handle, i'sdrawn over a section of the line, and, con sequently, the wear in the line is greatly reduced.

In manipulation of tongs of this nature, it

is sometimes desirable to move the-tongs relative to the pipe to a point at which the jaws encircle a collar or a tool joint on the pipe. In the usual type of tongs such movement is impaired due to the shoulders on the edges of thejaws and the dies engaging the collar or the tool joint. It is a noteworthy feature of the device contemplated bythis invention to provide the jaws with improved means for v attaching dies thereto.

that the edges of the jaws are beveledor rounded so'as to form guiding means for directing the jaws over the collar or the tool joint; on the pipe. I

It'isja still further object of this invention The details in the construction of a pre- 3, 'ferred form of my invention, together with other objects attendant to its production, will be best understood from the following deinvention;

.Fig'. 4' isa plan view of the jaw unit shownin Fig. 1, illustrating same as having been applied to a pipe or tubing instead 0f a pipe ortubing collar; 1

Fig. 5 is an 'elevational'view taken in a plane represented by the line 55 in Fig. 1;

v Fig. 6is a sectional view taken in a'plane represented by the line ,66 in Fig. 1 and Figsi7, 8 and 9 are enlarged plan views partlyin section illustrating the details in 1 shown in Fig.

the constructionand operation of the jaws :duringa pipe "engaging andpipe gripping operation.

More particularly describing the invention dicatesa set of pipe-tongs shown as embodying-a handle 12 and j aws-13 and 14 pivotally attached to the jaw supporting end 15 of the K handle. Thejaws 13 and 14 are preferably made in sections, the jaw 13 being shown as comprising a rear section 16 and a front sec- "tion 17, and the jaw 14 being shown as comprising a rear section 18 and afront section 19, .All of these sections are provided with curvedjpipe engaging inner surfaces which are adapted to engage a pipe collar 20,' as 1 ,or a pipe 21, as illustrated in Fig.4. 7 I

, Reference numeral 22 indicates a latch the general direction of arrow 2 in which is shown as comprising a finger or gate plate 23 pivotally attached to the outer end 17 The latch plate or finger 22 is provided with a pair of under cut recesses 26' and27 which are positioned in spaced relation with each other and are adapted to engage and interlock with a. correspondingly undercut tooth'or projection 28 which is formed on the outer end of the jaw section 19. This interlocked latch construction is of a nature such finger 23 and the outer surface of the jaw section 17; The gate plate 23 isalsoprovided.

with a pair of handles 33 and 34'whereby the latch maybe engaged or disengaged. The jaw sections 17 and 19 are also provided with of the jaw section 17 by a pivot pin 24 which extends through cheeks on the jaw section 2 handles 35 and 36 which areadapted for use I in'conjunction with the handles 33 and 34 in manually manipulating the jaws and the latch from either side of the tongs. V The jaw sections 16 and 17 and the jaw sections 18, and19 are pivotally connectedtogether through themedium of pivot-pins 1 37 and 38, respectively. "These pins preferably'extend through replaceable bushings,

not shown.

hind the jaw Y16 and is arranged so asto be engaged by the jaw when the tongs are opened for engaging the pipe.

7 It waspointed out in the first part ofrthe specification'that the primary object of this invention was to produce tongs of a nature such that during the pipe gripping operation,

the pressure from the aws is applied uniformly to substantially the entire engaged surface of the pipe. It will be noted that the jaw 16 is pivotally attached to the handle 12 by means of pivot pin 41 and that the pin p '41is a substantial distance behind-a'pivot .herein illustrated, referencenumeral 11 1n-,

in'42 which secures the section 18 to the handle. In this form of my invention, it will be noted that the pivot points 41 and '42 are substantially on the centerline of thehandle, and it will be apparent that as the handle is swung in the general direction of the arrow A in Fig. 1, the jaw section 16 will have a movement in thedirection of the arrow B, and the jaw section 18 will have a movement in the direction of the arrow O. In other words, thejaw section 16 tends to swing aboutth-e pivot pin 41 as a -fulcrum,.and the V aw section 18 tends to swing about the pivot pin 42-as a fulcrum. This resultant move ment bringsthe inner .pipeengagi'ng surfaces I V v 100" eference numeral 40 indicates a stop boss Y or lug which is provided'on the handle 12 beof the jaws into pressure engagement with the pipe, tending to crush the pipe at these points. To prevent this crushing action and to equalize the stress applied to the pipe, I provide what will hereinafter be referred to as a floating shoe which is indicated by reference numeral and is shown as being interposed betweenthe inner shoulders 16 and 18 of the two jaw sections 16 and 18 respectively.

The shoe 45 is shown as comprising a pipe engaging plate 46 having a rear bearing surface 47, on opposite sides of which cheeks 48 extend in a manner such that they may receive a cam formed on the forward end 15 of the handle 12. The-cheeks48 are provided with slots 49 which receive the pivot pin 42, and one or both of the cheeksis'provided with an extension 50- which is adapted to engage a shoulder 51 on the jaw section 18 to prevent the shoe 45 swinging back to a point at which it would interfere with the action of the jaw 13. i

It is important for the equalized application of pressure mentioned above that the shoe 45 receive a forward movement during the swinging movement of the handle in the direction of the arrow A or during the compressing or closing movement of the jaws 13 and 14. This movementis permitted by the slots 49 and is, in this form of my invention, accomplished through the medium of the cam surface 52 which is provided on the nose or inner end of the handle 12.

It was mentioned in the fore part of the specification that tongs of this nature are ordinarily suspended in the derrick, the means for suspending such tongs usually'comprising a set of pivotal links which may not be adjustable. And it was mentioned as an object of this invention to provide the tongs with adjustable means of suspending them in the derrick. Such suspending means are best il lustrated in Figs. 1 tov 8 inclusive, where they are shown as comprising an upright arm 55 hingedly attached to the forward end of the lever 12 by means of a pivot pin 56 which ex tends through upwardly projecting ears on the handle 12 and a suitably positioned aperture in the bottom of the arm. The. upper end of the arm 55 is provided with" a hook-' shaped plate section 58 which, in turn, may contain one or more apertures 59 for the reception of a suitable cable. The-end of the hook section 58, opposite the arm 55, is provided with an aperture 60 which receives the upper end of arod section 61. .The rod section 61 cooperates with a turnbuckle 62 and another rod section 68 to form an. adjustable link 64. The lower end of the section 63 is in pivotable engagement with an ear 65 which is mounted on the handle 12 opposite the ears 57. It will be seen from the construction so 1 far described, that the angularrelation of the arm 55 and the handle 12 may be adjusted simply by manipulation of the turn buckle 62. This adjustment is. used in leveling the tongs when they are suspended. Reference numeral 66 indicates a brace rod which extends from the upright arm 55 to the rear portion of the handle 12 for the purpose of I contains thehandle12. In other'words, the

passage through the eye is normalto the opening in the jaws and is in line with the direction which the handle is moved. in manipulating the tongs; By arranging'the eye in this manner, the 'manipulating-w line 68 may be passed through theeye, as. indicated in Figs. land 2, looping over the handle, as indicated at 69, the free end of the line being drawn upwardly beneath the loop which goes over the handle, as indicated at 70. In this manner, tension applied to'the line in the direction of the arrow A draws the looped portion of the line against the free end 70 so that the pressure against the line is applied to a fiber surface rather than a metal surface, as is thecase in the usual construction of tongs of this nature. I f Reference numeral 71 indicates an eye-or loop which may be used in attaching a backup line to the tongs/It is necessaryinthe ma-.

nipulation of tongs of this nature to have means for pulling-the tongs from either side, and it is desirable'that such means be of a nature such that they can be reversed. In

reversing the backup lineiin the use of my invent1on','it is only necessary to turn the loop 71 over, and it will be noted that the loop is provided with anelongated section 72 which receives the handle 12, and an enlarged section 73 which may be turned about the handle 12 when it is desired to reverse the line. The enlarged portion 73 is provided with a swivel 74 to which the backup line 75 is attached. For the purpose of preventing, sidemovem'ent of the loop 71 on the handle, I provide the handle with oppositely disposed bosses or projections 76. i l

One of the features of the tongs'contem- V plat-ed by this invention resides in the inanner of attaching the dies to thetongs. In this form of the invention I show the tongs as being provided with two dies, one in each of the jawsections 16 and 18. In the ordinaryconstruction oftongs of this nature, the

dies are either wedged into dovetailed slots,

or are welded in the j aws', and such construction makes their removal extremely diffic-ult. In Fig.5, the die 78 is shown as b'eing received in a rectangular slot formed in the jaw section, and is held therein by means of screws 79 which project inwardly from the outside of the jaw section and extend into suitable threaded apertures 80 which are provided in the dies. It will also be noted from Fig. 5, that both the top and bottom surfaces of both a the aws and the dies are rounded, as shown at 81, so as to'provide a guiding surface for with the pipe in the general :directionof the arrow D'by an operator who grasps the arm .55 and the handle 36 on the jaw-section 19.

The final position of the tongs prior to closing and latching the jaws is indicated in Fig.

.7 where it will be noted that the pipe 21 is,

positioned with the collar engaging the inner surface of the shoe and thepipe engaging surface .of the jaw section 16. The neXt step is to close and latch thefjaws about the collar. This is effected by the operator grasping the'arm 34;. and the handle 36, drawing the jaw sections 17 and 19 into the posi- I thehandle 12 is swung tion shown in Fig. 8 and-swingingthe gate or .latchplate 22 so that thetooth o'r'projection 28 is received in the undercut recess-27;

the event the tongs are being brought into engagement with the pipe rather than the. collar,the tooth 28 is received in the under cut recess 26. Z

After this operation has been completed,

arrow. A which, as pointed out above, draws the jaws 13 and 14 into pressure engagement with the collar or pipe and, at thesame time, presses the shoe 45 into pressure. engagement with that portion. of the collar which is not engaged by the jaws. The finalposition of the jaws and the pipe engaging shoe with respect to the collar, during the applica-.

tion of torque to the handle 12, is shown in Fig. 9 where it will be noted that, the inner surfaces of the jaw sections 17 and 19,.are drawn back into firm engagement with the .pipe'collar and the inner surface of the. jaw sections 16 and 18 are swung inwardly through the pivotal action of their connections with the handle, and the inner surface of the shoe 45 is pressedinwardlythrough the action of the cam'nose v52 on the handle so thatythe five separate cont-act'surfaces are in thesame pressure engagement with the collar or the pipe. V vItwill be apparent fromtheforegoing dein the direction of the sjcription. that the application of turning force to the handle while apipe ls beingengaged thereby, the jaw sections 16 and 18 are under tension,-and theshoe 45 is under compression. The movement of the handle in the direction opposed to the arrow A is of course effective to loosen the jaws so 'thatsuch movement may be used to obtaina new bite on the pipe, and is efi'ective to place the jaws in a position such that the latch 22 may be released.

It is to be understood'that while I have herein described and illustrated one preferred form of'my invention, the invention is notv limited to the precise construction described above1,'but;includes within its scope whatever changes fairly come within the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention; .7 1 1. Pipe tongs embodying: a handle; a plurality of gripping jaws pivotally attached to said handle in'spaced relation with, each other; and a floating shoe mounted on the pivot of one of said jaws and adapted to have Y pivotal and longitudinal movement relative to said handle.

2. Pipe tongs embodying: a handle; a plurality of gripping jaws pivotally attached to said handle in spaced. relation with each other; and 1 a floating shoe mounted on the pivot of one of said jaws and adapted to have pivotal and longitudinal movement relative to said handle, said handle andsaid shoe having cam engaging, surfaces for impart ing longitudinal movement to said shoe during swinging movement of said handle;

3. Pipe tongs embodying a handle; a plurality of gripping jawspivotally attached to said handle in spaced relation with each other; and a floating shoe mounted on the pivot of one of' said jaws and adapted to relative to said handle, said handle having acam nose adapted to. engage the back of said shoe forcaus'ing longitudinal movement 0 said shoe during swinging movement ofsaid handle. r i I Y have pivotal and longitudinal: movement 4. Pipe tongs embodying: a handle; a

plurality of sectional gripping jawshaving their sections pivotally connected, and each of said jaws being pivotally attached to the end of said handle in spaced relationwith each other; a latch at the outer end ofsaid jaws for, holding said jaws in closed. relation about a pipe; and afloating shoe pivotally and slidablymounted' on the handle pivot of. one of said jaws.

- 5. Pipe tongs embodying: plurality of sectional gripping jaws having their sections pivotally connected, and each of said jaws being pivotally attached to the end of said handle in spaced. relation with each other; a'latch at theiouterend ofsaid' jaws for holding said jaws in closedrelation V abouta pipe; a floating shoepivotally and pivotally mounted on said handle; a shoe pivotally mounted on the pivot of one of said jaws, said shoe being adapted for longitudinal movement relative to said pivot; and a cam nose on the end of said handle engaging said shoe for moving said shoe longitudinally during swinging movement ofsaid handle. 7

7. Pipe tongs embodying: a handle; jaws pivotally mounted on said handle; a shoe provided with slotted cheeks positioned on the end of said handle; a pivot pin extending through the slots in said cheeks and through said handle for slidably and pivot ally securing said shoe to said handle, said pivot pin also forming a pivot for one of said jaws; and a cam nose on said handle engaging a surface of said shoe for moving said shoe longitudinally during swinging movement of said handle.

8. Pipe tongs embodying: jaws spacedly pivoted on said handle; a shoe pivotally mounted on the pivot of one of said jaws; and a stop on said shoe extending below said pivot and adapted to engage one of said jaws for limiting the swinging movement of said shoe.

9. Pipe tongs embodying: a handle; a pair of sectional jaws having their sections pivotally connected, and each of said aws being pivotally mounted on said handle; a latch for holding said jaws in encircling relation with a pipe; and a shoe mounted on said handle between said jaws, said jaws and said shoe-being so connected with said handle as to be pressed into equalized pressure engagement with said pipe during a swinging movement of said handle. 7

10. Pipe tongs embodying: a handle; pipe encircling jaws mounted on one end of said handle; and an eye positioned at the other end of said handle with its aXis in a plane common to the movement of said handle during operation of said tongs.

11. Pipe tongs embodying; a handle; pipe encircling jaws mounted on one end of said handle; and means for attaching a line to the other end of said handle said last mentioned means comprising a loop having an elongated portion adapted to receive said handle and an enlarged portion adapted to be turned about said handle and a swivel connection in the enlarged portion.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 29th day of November, 1930.

ALFRED W. POSEY.

a handle; 7 

